Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: 26 Physicians Plead Guilty in Bribery Scheme; Kentucky Cancer Rates Highest In Nation
The Associated Press: Bribery Probe Nets $12M And More Than 2 Dozen Doctors
An ongoing federal investigation of a New Jersey medical laboratory has netted guilty pleas from more than two dozen doctors, the latest Tuesday from a physician who admitted taking cash bribes from lab employees. ... Prosecutors say the bribes were part of a long-running scheme operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory. They say the company bribed doctors to refer patients and perform unnecessary tests, reaping millions of dollars. (12/22)
USA Today: Burden Of Lung Cancer Pushes Kentucky's Cancer Rates To Nation's Highest
About 10,000 Kentuckians a year are taken by cancer in a state where the disease consistently kills at the highest rate in the nation. Experts say the biggest culprit is lung cancer, which strikes and kills Kentuckians at rates 50% higher than the national average. But Kentucky’s death rates also rank in the Top 10 nationally for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers. (Ungar, 12/22)
Reuters: Tennessee Woman Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Charge For Abortion Attempt
A Tennessee woman accused of using a coat hanger to try to abort her 24-week-old fetus pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted first-degree murder in a Nashville-area court on Tuesday, a sheriff's official said. Anna Yocca, 31, was indicted earlier this month for attempting to abort the fetus in a bathtub filled with water in September. (12/22)
Heartland Health Monitor: New E. coli Infection Turns Up In Kansas
A Johnson County resident is the latest person to fall ill with an E. coli infection that may be linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill. Federal health officials have identified five people, including the Johnson County resident, who have been infected with what they said was a “different, rare DNA fingerprint of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli026,” or STEC 26. (Margolies, 12/22)
The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Supreme Court To Decide Fate Of Malpractice Case Against Cleveland Clinic
A long legal battle between the Cleveland Clinic and a retired Air Force colonel who says he was injured by a group of Clinic surgeons is entering a potentially decisive stage before the Ohio Supreme Court. David Antoon and his wife have accused the doctors of botching a surgery to remove his cancerous prostate gland, leaving him impotent and incontinent, and unable to continue his job as a commercial 747 pilot. The Clinic denies any wrongdoing. (Ross, 12/23)
The Associated Press: Michigan Schools Try Out Gold Standard Of Concussion Tests
Sixty-two Michigan high schools are participating in a unique pilot program that does baseline testing of athletes in football and other sports to help with concussion diagnosis. Baseline testing — a combination of memory, reaction time, attention and stress assessments — is done in major pro sports because it is considered an objective and individualized tool. The NCAA recommends baseline testing of all college athletes. While all states have laws that address preventing concussions in youth sports, many are weak and none require baseline testing. (Schneider, 12/23)
